4 Ways to Create Stronger Partnerships by Sharing Data With Partners
When you share data and information, it is common to share the numbers and move on. Maybe your department is asking for the latest report or you’re giving a community presentation. You analyzed the data, you shared the results, and now your part is done — right?
Not quite. That is a bit like telling someone about a perfect professional connection but never sending the introduction, leaving the person to track down the contact on their own.
Receiving data can feel similar. You are handed something that might be valuable, but it takes time to sort through it and understand how it can help your organization activate change. It can feel clouded and unclear, even when you are the one who asked for the data in the first place.
Over the past few months, we have heard organizations say things like, “We need a central hub for community data” or “We want to see what others are analyzing.” But sharing data on its own rarely creates the connection (and partnership) people hope for, because when we do share, it often feels like information telling rather than information sharing.
When centering our information-sharing on building relationships, we can create stronger partnerships in a shorter time, because we all hold collective accountability for the meaning behind the numbers.
Here are four intentional ways to use data to create stronger partnerships, using examples from our client base.
1. Share Data With Context
Numbers can’t speak for themselves. When data is shared without context, we leave partners to interpret it on their own. To build partnerships through data, we have to offer context.
That means:
Centering the people behind the numbers
Treating people’s contributions to shared information as something we are accountable to
Grounding our interpretation in shared understanding rather than extraction
In a recent planning session with a food bank, we outlined how patterns of food insecurity in their region connect to long histories of segregation, disinvestment, and systemic racism. Naming the systems shaping the numbers opened space for partners to talk more honestly about what it would take to make change. The conversation shifted from, “What does the map say?” to “What systems are producing these conditions, and what can we change together?”
The group came up with the idea to collaborate with the public transportation system to market pantry stops directly along transit routes.
Context makes that kind of shift possible. It connects data back to lived experience and invites deeper conversation about responsibility and opportunity to activate change through partnerships. Without that grounding, data becomes a transaction. With it, data becomes a way to strengthen relationships and move toward collective change.
2. Share Data in a Way That Gives Room for Complexity
Overly complex data can hide the opportunities for change. Most organizations need 2-6 weeks to take action on every one insight. Beginning with less data often leads to clearer priorities and more sustained progress, and helps you avoid a data avalanche.
Notably, clarity does not mean “simplify.” Tell clear stories while still respecting the depth and nuance of the work.
We noticed this principle in action with a recent client. When we started working with them, there was a lack of clarity around the data they shared with their partners. Partners did not have a strong understanding of what the numbers were, or what they meant.
We found a simple way to present the information in an infographic style that gave clarity to the numbers, and the impact those numbers represented in their communities. Having the numbers in a clear design led us to rich conversations about the data that deepened understanding and sparked new ideas.
Make meaning visible so teams can understand the insight quickly and act with confidence.
3. Share Data With Opportunities to Co-Create Collective Change
Organizations aren’t really data driven — we’re people driven. Partnerships are no different. They aren’t formed by data or numbers or information. They’re formed by relationships between people. The data shared has to be transformational, not transactional.
At SWIM, one of our data principles is that every question, chart, and recommendation must connect to a decision, conversation, or next step. Sharing the data in this way increases trust between the two parties and helps build a partnership.
As you’re preparing to share data, think of this: How do you create a moment with this data so that it sticks with the organizations you’re bringing to the table? How do you use it to activate change?
This is essential: Write the plan with the community rather than for the community.
We recently did a network scan to gather data for food pantry leaders in Nebraska so they could identify specific communities in their region to prioritize. They were encouraged to brainstorm ways to use this information in their communities and share it back with neighbors, community leaders, and funders.
We also had community-wide meetings with organizations who have some sort of influence in the hunger space. We showed them data from the pantry level and from neighbors facing food insecurity and asked, “What could you do to drive some change within this community?”
The health partners in the room made some potent connections to preventative healthcare and what that means for someone who’s food insecure. That drove a plan in one community that was focused on health outcomes.
In your context, do more than just collect information — share it back and give the decision-making powers to the community who was willing to share the information with you in the first place. This helps the data go from sitting in one place to transforming communities.
4. Share Data in Ways That Keep Everyone Accountable
This crucial step ensures this connection isn’t a one-off, but leads to a strong partnership. By sharing data in ways that hold us accountable, we are more likely to stay connected to each other.
One example of holding yourself accountable to change is closing feedback loops. When you collect data, share it back with the people who you surveyed. This is as simple as emailing survey participants and giving a straightforward rundown of the survey results. They’ll notice that their voice was counted, and just like that, you’ve built trust.
Returning data also improves accuracy — if anything is off, people can give feedback and you can ensure it gets corrected. They can ask questions and provide guidance if you missed the mark anywhere.
Circle back with them once again when action steps are taken. For example, in our neighbor focus groups, we share the report back with neighbors before it goes to the food bank. This makes sure we only share what the neighbors want shared. We make sure everything is written in their voice and represented in ways they want.
This lets participants know the time they spent on your data collection mattered, and gives them the opportunity to access a service or participate in community alongside other neighbors.
Data Moves Partnerships Forward
The data we get back from surveys or focus groups may not be that surprising or groundbreaking. It may reflect the things you observe every day in the daily work that you do. But by naming it, putting it on paper, and sharing it with intention, you can show your team and your funders that the things you’re doing and the actions you’re taking are all based on neighbor feedback. You can more easily tell the story to anyone who needs to hear it.
But most importantly, you can strengthen your partnerships by handling the data with care. This is one of those data moments that can move people forward together.
If you’re interested in our approach to data, schedule a call today!